The "Jersey Shore" stars Snooki and the Situation are creating their own reality star app networks where their loyalists can circulate. Next up -- a puzzle app for Snooki that is likely to include
content inspired by her pregnancy. Go ahead and guffaw. I can't wait. ...Read the whole story

VW is firing up a U.S. promotion "Golf R Ultimate Fan Experience" for the 2012 version of the car, which it is calling its most powerful vehicle ever in the U.S. The program is also a way to get R fans to download the new VW Golf R iPad app. ...Read the whole story

As Hulu looks to appeal to more advertisers, the company will begin charging advertisers only for spots that run in their entirety. If a viewer does the equivalent of using a DVR online and skips a portion of an ad, the marketer won't have to pay. ...Read the whole story

New research from Viacom, says laptops and desktops are no longer the main choice after traditional TV screens. Tablets comprised a 15% share of viewing full-length TV episodes after traditional TV, according to its survey. ...Read the whole story

"House Beautiful" and HSN (formerly the Home Shopping Network) are collaborating to create a House Beautiful-branded marketplace for home furnishings, including online and mobile e-commerce platforms, and TV promotions, with the airing of "The 'House Beautiful' Marketplace" during HSN's "Spring Home Design Event," April 17-19. ...Read the whole story

The Hispanic campaign features a Mother's Day-themed commercial in which a teenage boy uses his Nokia Lumia 900 phone to record a performance by Guatemalan singer Ricardo Arjona. ...Read the whole story

Connectivity via devices has become so common across age groups that media and entertainment companies must get beyond familiar demographic breakdowns, says IBM. Target the new connected 'digital personalities,' the company argues. ...Read the whole story

Around The Net

Thriving in perhaps the hottest segment of digital media, mobile social network Path has reportedly raised $40 million at a valuation $250 million. Not an instant hit, however, “It was rejuvenated after a successful redesign late last year to become a personal journaling app with ways to share travel, sleep, photos, locations and workouts through a Nike partnership,” reports AllThingsD. In February, Path CEO Dave Morin said the app had two million registered users. To date, not even Facebook has successfully cracked the mobile social media code, leaving the space wide open for upstarts like Path to stake their claim. ... ...Read the whole story

The mobile payment infrastructure could help media companies rethink a paid-content model they dismissed years ago for their digital wares. As social net myYearbook is discovering, m-commerce gives media a payment platform in all users' pock ...More

Troy-Bilt touts its yard products as made to last a lifetime, so it makes sense to show one family in varying life stages throughout its TV spot. In an effort to further reach 26- to 49-year-old ...More